Are hospital floors an underappreciated reservoir for transmission of health care-associated pathogens?

Effective disinfection of contaminated surfaces is essential to prevent nosocomial transmission of pathogens such as Clostridium difficile, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), and vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE).1,2 Efforts to improve disinfection usually focus on surfaces that are frequently touched by the hands of health care workers or patients (eg, bed rails and call buttons). Although health care facility floors are often heavily contaminated,3-5 limited attention has been paid to disinfection of floors because they are not frequently touched. However, floors are a potential source of transmission because they are often contacted…